Punjab National Bank vs Nainital Bank: Children’s Savings Accounts
Punjab National Bank offers dedicated accounts for kids such as PNB Junior SF Account and the PNB Vidyarthi SF Account. Nainital Bank allows minors to open a Regular Saving Account through a parent or guardian.
Children’s Savings Accounts from Punjab National Bank
PNB is the second largest bank in India after SBI and offers specific accounts for children such as the PNB Junior SF Account and the PNB Vidyarthi SF Account.
PNB Junior SF Account
The account can be opened by a child through her parent or guardian or she can open and operate it herself if she has crossed 10 years of age.
Features
- As mentioned, any child of any age can open the PNB Junior SF Account through her parent or guardian. Children over 10 years of age can open and operate the account under their own name
- There is no minimum deposit needed to open the account. Plus, there is no need for any minimum balance either
- The child can get a free cheque book of 20 leaves per six months, i.e. two chequebooks of 40 leaves per year
- Demand drafts made out to pay school or college fees are free of cost
- The bank, however, has put a limit of Rs. 5,000 on debit card use per day, be that through ATM withdrawals, POS transactions at shops (card swipe in case you are wondering) or online payments
- Kids or their parents can have a view of the account balance and transactions through both online and mobiles but transactions are not allowed
PNB Vidyarthi SF Account
The account as the name suggests is for children studying in recognised educational institutions.
Features
- The account is available for children up to 21 years of age. Once they reach adulthood, the account becomes a standard savings account with all its perks and limitations
- Like the PNB Junior SF Account, there are no minimum balance requirements for initial deposit and average quarterly balance in the PNB Vidyarthi SF Account
- All demand drafts made out for any type of fees are free of cost
- Like the children’s account, the child is eligible to receive two chequebooks of 20 leaves each per year
- Most fees and charges in the account have been waived off by the bank through there is an annual maintenance charge for the debit card
Children’s Savings Accounts from Nainital Bank Limited
Nainital Bank does not offer a dedicated children’s savings bank account though its Regular Saving Account can be opened by a minor.
Regular Saving Account
The standard savings account from the bank, the account can be opened on behalf of minors by the guardian.
Features
- The account is meant to cater to the savings needs of the people by providing a safe place to keep their money
- The bank has made it easy to operate the account without too much of a fuss
- The minimum balance for accounts with chequebooks is Rs 500 for rural and semi-urban branches and Rs. 1,000 for urban and metro branches. For non-chequebook accounts, the balance is Rs. 200 (rural), Rs. 300 (semi-urban), Rs. 400 (urban) and Rs. 500 (urban) locations. Details of whether the same balance requirements apply on the Regular Saving Account for minors is not available on the website as of November 2018
Reference Facts
- Punjab National Bank Website: www.pnbindia.in and www.netpnb.com (net banking)
- Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
- Call Centre Number: 1800 180 2222, 1800 103 2222
- Nainital Bank Website: www.nainitalbank.co.in
- Headquarters: Nainital, Uttarakhand
- Call Centre Number: +91 120 240 1083